Thursday, September 27, 2007

Meet "Leo" Williams



1) Are you a male or a female?
~male

2) How old are you?
~2 1/2 years

3) Where were you born?
~in a little city called Endicott, New York (upstate New York)

4) How did you end up here in Florida?
~Well, my mommy searched long and hard over the internet for me when I was just a wee one! She said that she wanted to find a kitten that was brought up around young children in the home and that would easily adapt to its new home with the Williams family. After searching the internet, mommy found the Cafferty family that was selling my breed of kittens, which is known as himalayan. When I was 12 weeks old, I flew by air conditioned plane to Orlando all the way from the Newark, New Jersey airport! I was a little scared, but I had my little blankie that I had grown up with and that still had my mother's scent on it. This accompanied me inside my pet carrier on the plane ride to Orlando so that I would have a familiar smell to keep me calm while I flew to my new home!

5) What does the breed "himalayan" mean in cats?
~It's basically a Persian cat, with long-hair and distinctive blue eyes, except himalayans all have what are known as color points along several different "points" or areas of their body...the ears, the nose or "mask" area, the paws, and the tail. I am a "chocolate point" himalayan. This means that I have dark chocolate colorings on my "points" along with a fawn or cream-colored body. I also have pink pads on my paws, which distinguishes me from the more common "seal-point" himalayan. Seal point himmies have dark or chocolate colored paw pads and their body color is darker overall, rather than cream. There are also other more rare color points in himalayans, such as the "lilac point", the "flame point", the "tortie point", the "cream point", and the "blue point". You can also sometimes find combinations of them, such as the "blue-cream point". All true himalayans must have blue eyes. If you notice in my picture, my eyes are a beautiful ice blue color.

6) Are you good with kids?
~Most definitely! The himalayan breed is known for its docile temperament, which makes us the perfect kind of cat to bring into a family with children! We tend to be lap cats who love to be with our owners all the time, rather than aloof, like many other typical breeds of cats. My owners especially love how I act almost like a member of the family by tapping them on their ankles as they walk by me just so that they will pay attention to me! It's like I am saying, "Hey, you! Look at me down here! Let's play!" I love to play chase in the house with Sierra and Chandler!

7) What's your biggest "pet" peeve? LOL
~Probably when my mommy shuts the bedroom door and leaves me out. I know it's not intentional, but I can't stand being separated from mommy! I stand at the door and cry and whine when a door is closed. I also follow mommy into all the kids' rooms at night as she tucks each one into bed or reads them a story. If she accidentally shuts the door to one of their bedrooms, I just sit in the hallway and meow relentlessly until someone lets me in!

8) Do you have a girlfriend?
~No, but I sure wish I did! About two months ago, I became fully mature. So, now I like to move my paws back and forth on mom's lap in a making "bread dough" motion. It's my way of saying I wish I had a girlfriend! Mommy wishes she could find me a mate, but dad says no way! He has allergies and it wouldn't be a good thing to introduce another cat into the family. I am not fixed yet, so hopefully, soon mom will make an appointment at the vet's so that I can get neutered and put me out of my misery...er, on second thought, NEVERMIND!!!!!!!!

9) So, what's all this stuff we've recently read about you hunting down "Hammy" in the house?
~Well, I'm a cat, as you know. And the temptation of seeing that little hamster every dayis just too much sometimes to ignore! Ya' know, it's in my blood to want to chase and hunt that little guy down every chance I get! It's not fair that mommy always seems to intervene whenever my eyes get as big as saucers while looking at "Hammy". She scolds me and tells me "NO!", but one of these days, I just know I am going to get lucky and when that little guy taunts me and no one is looking, I will get him!! Ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!

10) How'd you get the name "Leo"?
~My mommy noticed that my father's name on the pedigree papers was Sir Michelangelo of Cafferty's Kitties. My mother's name was Miss Mocha Latte. Mom thought sticking with something like "Leo" (short for Leonardo) would be better than something like "Java Chip Frappucino", like my dad had suggested...thank goodness for that! LOL

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Meet "Hammy" Williams


I'd like to introduce you all to some of the other members of our Zoo Crew! I thought the best way to do that is through some interviews...

Meet "Hammy" Williams...aka Hammy "Houdini" Williams

1) Are you a male or female?
~male

2) What's your nickname?
~Hammy Houdini

3) How'd you get that nickname?
~Well, from the beginning, my owners have had many funny challenges trying to keep me inside my hamster cage. I am famous for finding ways to escape!

4) How old are you?
~Well, I was about 6 months old when they bought me from PetSmart, so I guess I am a little over 2 years old now! I think I was born some time in August of 2005.

5) What's your biggest "pet" peeve? LOL
~When my owners figure out where in the house I've escaped and they find me and pick me up and place me back into my hamster cage. I love my freedom!!

6) Do you have any favorite foods?
~Well, my most favorite food to eat is pancake batter! The kids and mom always let me lick their fingers with some pancake batter on it whenever they make pancakes for breakfast! It's especially yummy! I also like carrots, too! One time, I got lucky and found some cheetos inside the family room couch and I got to munch on those until my family caught me...darn it!!

7) Do you have any siblings?
~Well, if I do, I don't remember them. I live by myself, since hamsters prefer to be alone. Although, I do wish I had a mate! But, my mom and dad never seemed to give me a female roommate, so I am a lifelong bachelor, I guess you could say.

8) What's the craziest place you've ever escaped to?
~Well, once I managed to get up underneath the sink in dad's bathroom. I was behind the drywall through this little hole that I found that is where the baseboard, the wall, and the cabinet meet. I had fun because it was dark and no one could find me! I played tricks on my owners and made scratching noises that sounded like I was inside the wall...I laughed and laughed to myself! Then, I got bored and decided to come out and that's when they saw me and found me! There was another time that I thought I'd hide for the entire day underneath the oven in the kitchen inside the muffin tins drawer at the bottom! It was perfect...I stored up my treasures of various food particles and crums I'd found along the way and placed them all around inside the cookie tins and baking pans. Then, that darn housecat, Leo, heard me making noise and he kept meowing! My owners were tipped off to my whereabouts since the cat kept hovering around the stove and meowing. Sure enough, they opened the drawer, looked in and found me...darn it again! But, the craziest place is probably still the family room couch. Like I said before, I found cheetos inside there and dad had a hard time using a flashlight and his hand to reach down inside the fabric in the corner underneath the cushions and stuff to find me!!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The Way I See It...


I was reading the side of my Starbucks coffee cup yesterday morning and I thought I would post the blurb here. I thought it was a very true observation and interesting quote...

The Way I See It #267

"Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears - it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more...it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity."

~Oliver Sacks (neurologist and author of, "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" and "Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain")


This quote reminds me of how much I think we all as humans enjoy music in some form or fashion throughout our lives. It's like a way of communicating to our souls. I have read some passages before in some Christian inspirational books (can't remember titles or authors at this moment) about the idea of music and singing being a predominant form of communication, praise and honor in God's Heavenly kingdom some day. I do not know what being in God's presence will ultimately be like one day, but it is interesting to think about how if we are made in God's image, then there must be a reason we, as humans, are very respondent to music. The Bible talks about us singing songs of praises to our Lord, now and in Heaven. So, God must have created the idea of music and the innate desire for our souls to "sing a song" as part of our reflection of Him! What is it exactly about music that we are all drawn to? The words, the melodies and sounds, the feelings that music evokes in us when listening to it, the memories that are time-stamped for us in our minds by a particular song, etc? Hmmmm.....just something to think about...:o)

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Williams Zoo Crew Montage...

Last night I discovered this other awesome web site that allows you to make movies, slideshows, DVD's, etc. using your own pictures for free! You can also add music, as well as use different fonts, colors, backgrounds, etc. I went ahead and made a small montage of some of our best Williams Zoo Crew pictures. You can join the website and upgrade your membership for $3.99 a month, which will entitle you to all of their premium services, such as colorful backgrounds, fonts, designs, etc. But, I decided for right now to make my own version for free. So, it is pretty basic in its appearance, but still fun to watch! Enjoy our first family montage created by me! Check out their website too @ onetruemedia.com